Broken Chains
by Latest From The Asylum
Summary: What if Break hadn't been able to escape Alyss, and had been trapped by her and turned into a chain himself? What if he became the Mad Hatter, serving Alyss?Serving Alyss, that is, until Sharon made a contract with him, taking him back to the human world.
1. Becoming Mad Hatter

**Author's Note:**Okay, this starts off in the Abyss right after Aylss destroys Break's Chain. This is what I think would happen if Vincent never dropped in, if the Tragedy of Sabrie didn't happen during Break's visit, but later on a bit, allowing Aylss to do what she pleases with him. I couldn't find anybody else who did this, so I decided 'what the heck, I'll try it!' ^^" Please don't hate me! Anyways, Reveiws are love, and on with the show!

**Chapter One- Becoming Mad Hatter**

_Break's POV_

As I watched Alyss and Cheshire dance in the rain of blood, my heart jolted. With a strangled gasp, I clutched uselessly at my chest. _What… What's happening…?_

"_You feel it, don't you?" _My gaze flitted around the chaos until it finally settled on one of the many possessed dolls of the warped room, _"The Abyss, changing you."_

I let out cry wringed between a choke and a whimper as the pain doubled at the doll's words, "Changing… me?" I croaked, trying to keep a steady gaze on the thing.

It giggled, _"This is where it's strongest; at its core." _It swept across the floor, twirling out a dance of its own, _"The power of the Abyss… you can feel it soaking into you as I speak, can't you? Can't you?"_

The pain began to blossom from not only my heart, but in my head as well in the form of a grinding headache. I tried to form another sentence, but I could only parrot what the chain had just said, "Soaking into me…?"

Alyss broke off from Cheshire, the crimson drizzle having settled. She circled around me, bemused smile stretched across her lips, "Oh yes," she giggled, "Soon you'll be a wonderful chain, like the rest of us. My doll."

Whatever haze that had held me before dissipated when a tide of fear swept through me, "Humans? Humans into _chains?_ That's—that's—no, no…" My head snapped back and forth, shaking in a terribly mechanical way. I scrambled to my feet, gnashing my teeth against now persistent ache ravaging my body, "Impossible. Simply impossible."

Watching me, she laughed, "Aw, so cute. The human is trying to run away." The dolls snickered in agreement, and a shiver shot through me as I frantically backpedaled away from the Will of the Abyss.

But her cold eyes locked mine in their glacial chill, trapping me, "There's nowhere to run, silly. Can't see why you would want to; you should consider it an _honor—_" She briskly closed the space between us and had her nails dug deep in the collar of my cloak in no time at all, "—any other human would have been thrown to the trump cards. _You _are my special exception."

Her icy breath made my lips go numb as I fumbled for words, "No… I have… I have to…"

She sported a cruel smile, "Have to what? It's not like you have anyone _else _to protect anymore, right my doll?" She leaned up on her toes, pulling me down so our noses were barely an inch apart, "It'd be a shame to see such a noble knight go to waste, dear Kevin."

I could do nothing but stare. Every fiber of my being protested against her, against the stinging _ache _that struck up ten fold with her touch… but the smallest part of me knew she was right. I had _nothing _to go back to. I had failed my master… _I had let them all die. _Another wave of pain rocked through me, twisting my stomach in a bout of nausea as images of that day boiled up. The day I came back to the household, my master's daughter's small hand clutched frightfully in mine when we discovered I had arrived too late, that everyone was slain. _I should have been there… I should have died with them…_

Alyss pulled away, satisfied to see my submission. She was a head shorter than me, but she looked so composed when she held a finger to her lips, as if pondering something while her gaze was still locked with mine. Then her hand fell away from her mouth and reached forward, "But before I forget… or, before you turn, for that matter—"

It happened so quick, it took me a second to realize what she had done. One moment, I was in gaze deadlock with Alyss and the next I was staring at some bloody gore clutched in her—

That was when the pain hit.

I could barely hear her laugh over my scream. I fell to my knees as my hands clawed frantically at the bloody socket where my left eye used to be. Blood streamed down my cheeks, seeping into my mouth with the taste of iron, filling my nose with the scent of salt, and clouding my surviving eye with an oppressive red smog. Still sputtering and cursing, I mustered what I could into a glare at Alyss, who was now approaching Cheshire.

She tossed a merry-weather look back at me, "I'm so sorry, but your red eyes are a perfect fit for Cheshire." She handed my eye—_my eye—_to Cheshire, waving off his rushing stream of _'Thank you Miss Alyss'_s and _'You are so kind'_s.

She came back to me, standing there, studying my slumped form. Then she knelt down and took me by the shoulders, coaxing me to stand. At first I struggled against her burning touch, but eventually I grew weary and gave up, letting her herd me into a bed of cushions in the back corner of the small room. The pain that had been resonating through my body before had shifted into exhaustion, edging me to close my eyes—no, eye—for one last time and sleep forever.

But still, I poured as much fire as possible as she looked down at me, flashing a condescending smile like an artist studying her latest masterpiece. She sat down in front of me, reaching out and running icicle fingers down the good side of my face, "You hate me. Just like everybody else. Except him…" She trailed off, eyes distant, "But I'll make you love me, so you don't hate me. You'll realize how thankful you are that I spared you." Her voice was dreamy but hardly pleasant, bittersweet like a forgotten night terror.

The last thing I saw where those frozen eyes.

I could hardly feel it this time, the pain numbed by fatigue. I could hear her walking away and another wave of Cheshire's than yous… lifting my head slightly, I strained to hear her returning footsteps. A hysteric smile betrayed my lips when I felt the shift of pillows when she plopped down beside me.

I felt her hand on my cheek again, and I leaned into it. The energy from her touch that once burned now felt like necessity, like air I needed to breath. "You're a lot more cooperative blind. I'm glad." She mused, her other hand tracing over the hollow where my eyes used to be. Suddenly I was pulled deeper into the haze, and things began to disappear.

Alyss sighed, "What is your name, human?"

I struggled for enough breath to speak, "K-Kevin. Kevin Regnard."

She brushed her fingers over my lips, lingering on the corner, "How about now?"

I opened my mouth to answer—then it was gone. I stuttered, "I… I don't know."

"Good," she purred, smile obvious in her voice, "Now, who do you serve?"

"I'm the knight of the noble family… Sinclair." My voice faltered at the end. Even through the drugged haze, regret was still raw.

I could feel her hand slip down and over my chest, where the seal was, "Who?"

"I'm the knight of…" I trailed. There it was again, "I… don't… know…"

"Excellent." Alyss now had both hands over my seal, "Do you recall anything more?"

"I…" My words were caught in my mouth, vanishing from both my mind and my lips before they had a chance to escape. "No," I breathed, "I don't."

"Again, so cooperative." Alyss mused, "What are you?"

By then, everything had gone, "I don't know."

"Do you want me to tell you?" Electric shocks buzzed through my numb, numb chest when she straddled it, leaning over me and her lips tickling when she whispered in my ear, "What your name is, who you serve, what you are?"

I was so deep in the fog, I clutched to her every word as not to slip away, "…yes."

"Very well then." Alyss giggled, fingers cutting across the back of my neck and weaving into my hair, "You're my Mad Hatter, you serve me… as my shadow, my knight, my doll."

And with that, she disappeared, along with the cusions beneath me and the room around me, all shut away in one slamming dark lid of a casket. Black swirled around me, dancing across my pale and naked skin. Here I could see, watching wearily as shapes dodged in and out of the fog; shadows, red eyes, monsters prowling under the mist. Here I felt no pain, just chill, nestled between the shadows. Here I was alone, with her words ingraining themselves into my mind…

_Her shadow…_

_Her knight…_

_Her doll…_

_My Alyss._


	2. Smoke and Mirrors

**Chapter Two- Smoke and Mirrors**

_Sharon's POV_

"_You don't have to do it now; you can wait a few more years, you're still only thirteen."_

"_Are you sure? So young and joining Pandora… can you even make a contract yet?"_

"_Now's your last chance to back out. Nobody will judge you if you do, it's perfectly understandable."_

"_You can't come back easily after going through the gate; if something happens, don't panic. Panic will only make it harder for us to pull you back out."_

"_Good luck."_

"_Best wishes."_

"_God speed."_

And with that, the well-wishers vanished.

It's impossible to count how many entries I've read in the endless archives in Pandora about the fall from the human world into the Abyss. So many have been accounted for, describing everything from plunges of terror to flights of freedom.

For me, it was a mix between the two.

I screamed and laughed as I fell thought the darkness to who knows where, sliding this way and that down the very threads that held the dimension together. Lights and colors flashed by me, swirling around in a confused way as I plowed through them.

I was to be dropped in one of the Abyss's uppermost layers, where some of the weaker chains dwelled. _"Since you are still very young, we don't want to throw you _completely _in. This will be more of a dip in the pool, only a temporary Contract, for you to get used to the idea. Think of this as Pandora's training wheels."_

_Yeah, right. _I thought with a snort, _more like 'We don't want you to get _completely _dismembered, so instead of throwing you into sulfuric acid, we'll just push you into some nice and friendly boiling tar—'_

My train of thought was interrupted when suddenly; I was jolted off course, no longer falling but being pulled. But no sooner than I realized that I had been snagged, I slammed into my destination, hitting a hard tiled floor with a jolting _thunk!_

I didn't waste any time on the ground and shot to my feet, going on high-alert. Well, sort of high alert. When you've been falling through inter-dimensional spaces and belly-flop solid ground, you're bound to get the breath kicked right out of you. So I teetered on my heels, steadying my breath as I cased the room, eyes as sharp as they could be for the nearest chain.

Where I had landed was classic Abyss, I realized with a small smile. If there was anything I had learned from my teacher; it was how much of the abyss seemed to be a twisted reflection of our own world. "A broken toy box," as he once put it.

I took a step forward, sound of my foot hitting the tile shattering across the empty silence the room had been suspended in. I started to circle around, brushing by shelves and curtains, hand reaching beneath my jacket, fingers tracing across the mirror I had tucked in one of its innermost pockets…

"Fancy meeting you here, darling."

The words hit me like a lightning bolt, flinging me around to look behind me. But the shock wore off once I saw that the figure was clearly human. _Teacher did tell me I might run into other agents down here… _"Don't scare me like that," I breathed, "For a moment I thought you were a chain."

The man chuckled, "Now we wouldn't want you thinking that of me, would we?"

I allowed myself a smile of my own, "No, we wouldn't."

He leaned back, letting himself be hidden by the shadow cast by the doorway he was slumped against. We stood in silence, me studying him and I assumed he was doing the same; hard to tell with his head ducked and all that misty white hair veiling half his face…

He tilted his head to the side slightly, pale hair brushing against even paler skin. "This is your first time in the Abyss, isn't it?" His tone was light, innocent enough. But I couldn't help but be a little chilled by it.

"Uh, yeah." I bit my lip, uneasy, "I assume it isn't yours though, right?"

"Actually…" A questionable smile crept across his lips, "it's the one thing we have in common. It's still my first visit as well, you see."

"'Still'?" The chill matured into a shiver down my back, "What, you've been here for a while? Like, on a study mission?"

_That damn smile…_ "You could say that."

If there wasn't double meaning to those words I didn't know what else there could be. I looked over him a second time, and I began to notice little quirks that contradicted my first conclusion of him being a Pandora agent. Exactly like the room we were standing in, there was something… off about him. His skin was a little too white, smile a sprig too manic—and not being able to see his eyes sure didn't comfort me, either.

Then it clicked, "Well, I better be going. I was only here to get a feel of things—"

"Lies. You came down here to contract a chain, didn't you?" He stepped out from the doorway, leaning on a cane with one gloved hand and extending the other out to me, "No reason to be shy, I can help you. Study mission, remember? In fact, chains happen to be my specialty."

"Of course," I said, taking another step back, "Because you are one."

His outreaching arm went slack, and for the first time he lifted his head up fully, revealing two gaping holes where his eyes were supposed to be. His smile stretched into a maddened grin, "Well, aren't you the clever girl. No wonder they threw you down here so young."

And with that, he disappeared. Vanished. Evaporated.

I blinked, momentarily speechless as my mind frantically tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"Clever, but terribly inexperienced." I stiffened as a cool sharp something caressed the small of my back, "Lesson number one: don't let simple parlor tricks fool you, darling. I could have happily sung my blade right through your pretty little neck in the time it took for you to react."

I closed my eyes, willing myself to stay calm, "And yet I remain untouched."

The razor licked up my back, threatening to tear through the fabric of my dress, "Untouched… for now. To be honest, the only reason I bother talking to you is because I'm bored. Well, that and I've never spoken with a human before. You could say you intrigue me."

An idea, "But you're eventually going to kill me."

"Correct, darling. Don't worry—I'll make it slow."

I ducked my head back, trying not to shudder as I stared into the two black pits staring down at me, "Can I at least be allowed one question, a dying wish?"

He pursed his lips, considering my request, "Well, seeing as I'm a proper gentleman, I'll allow you one question. But make it quick."

I gave him a manic grin of my own, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

He faltered, "Why is—_what_?"

I spun around, taking advantage of his momentary confusion. I made a grab at his rapier, snagging the hilt and yanking it as hard as I could away from him. Thankfully, his reflexes where about as good as mine and he didn't try to grip until I had already slid the blade halfway out of his grasp. Cherry red blood drops blossomed through his white gloves, staining across the bright silver of the blade.

"Lesson number one:" I breathed, pulling the rapier closer, "Don't let simple parlor tricks fool you."

"Touché." He hissed, finding himself at the point of his own blade.

I began backing up, dragging him along with me. Pushing the point of the blade up, I watched as his sluggish and unnaturally dark blood slide down to my hands at the hilt, "So, you say chains are your specialty, right?"

He began sliding his hands down, gingerly trying to reclaim the blade, "Well, it has to be. I wouldn't be so good at killing them if it wasn't, would I?"

I shifted to the side, my now bloody hands disappearing into the side of my coat, "Then you must know a lot about contracts."

His hair slid over his face, but it didn't hide the scowl, "I see what you're getting at. I don't make contracts with humans. I don't need their hel—"

I dropped the blade, pulling out my looking glass, which was smeared with a few dark drops.

Drops of his blood.

"You bit—" he dove at me, but I skirted by, clutching the mirror tight in my arms as the seal began to form. He rounded back on me—he had thrown his gloves off, revealing two slashed, blood-stained palms with long, dagger-like nails. He threw his arm back as if preparing to take a swipe at me, but froze. I looked down at the mirror and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the full seal, embedded on the silver-backed surface.

As if on cue, I was swept off my feet, plucked out of the room and reeled up through the layers of the Abyss like a fish out of water. Before I knew it, I was back at home, laying on the ground and staring up at the concerned faces of several Pandora agents.

Suddenly I was taken by a set of arms pulling me into a hug, "I'm so sorry Sharon—are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Mom," I tried to hug her back, achieving an awkward backward half-hug, "What do you mean you're sorry? I'm fine, I got my contract."

There was silence. Everyone seemed to be fixed on me, eyes wide, "Sharon… you got a contract? _That far into the Abyss?"_

"That far—?" I glanced around at the faces around me, confused, "What do you mean? I was only in the outer layers, like you said—"

My mother shook her head, "Honey, you fell off course. Before we knew it… you where halfway down the levels. You were making a beeline for the _core._"

"The… core?" I gulped, recalling the twisted room and the chain, how he mused _"I've never spoken to a human before. You could say you intrigue me." _I internally kicked myself, I should have known! I should have noticed the differences, the warning signs—_If I can't even tell what part of the Abyss I'm in, how am I ever going to become a good Pandora ag—_

There was a flash as something else came through the gate.

Or, rather, _somebody _else.

There was a chorus of readied pistols as I was swept back by the agents shifting into the defensive. I shot up, pulling away from my mother, "Wait!" I yelled, trying to elbow past the wall of bodies.

"Ms. Sharon, stay back. We can take this from here."

"No!" I broke through, stumbling out in the space between them and the white-haired chain. I tried to meet the eyes of each agent, "I… I contracted him, so…" I glanced down at him, unsure of what to say. _Why am I defending him again? Didn't he just try to kill me? _But seeing him there, lying unconscious, messy white hair sticking this way and that covering the hollow space underneath… he looked almost… human. _Chain or no chain, _I thought, staring down the firing line,

"He's my responsibility."


	3. Aye, mi' eye

**_I do not own Pandora Hearts. I am merely a fan. Thank you, and enjoy the fanfiction._**

* * *

_Sharon's POV_

"Come on-"

"Never."

"It won't hurt, and to be honest you'll look loads better-"

"Absolutely not."

"At least one- you can just brush your hair over the other-"

_"No way in hell._"

I frowned, shoving the cloth package at the chain. He reluctantly took it, flipping it open and plucking out one of the glass orbs. He held it for a moment, giving me a venomos look that let me know _exactly _what he thought of it. Then with a scowel, he tilted his head back, slipping it into one of the empty sockets. When he faced me again, one glassy, violet eye stared back.

I smiled, "There, now that wasn't all that bad, was it?"

"No, it wasn't. But do you want to know what is?" He dropped the other onto the ground, snapping his foot down onto it with a solid _crunch_, "That."

It had been exactly one week since we had come back from the Aybss, but really, it might as well been a year. Shortly after my little speech to the trigger-happy Pandora agents, time of all times, the chain had decided to wake up. The agents paniced, summoning their chains all at once in order to defend themselves, not knowing the how much more damage my chain could deal their chains then to them.

It's needless to say that there's now several dozen agents are now out shopping for new chains.

After that little upset, I nearly lost him again, this time not to the point of a gun, but to the wrath of my mother. After discovering just how close her daughter had come to being slaughtered by the very thing they where about to invite into their home, well, she would have been a terrible mother if she didn't have any problem with it. I tried to reason with her, to tell her that there was no way he could hurt me now that I'd formed the contract, but she wouldn't hear it.

The only thing that saved the contract was Oscar Bezerius. Word spread quickly and it wasn't long before he heard the unbelieveable story of the little girl who traveled to the innermost part of the Aybss and was able to reign in one of the most powerful chains ever seen by Pandora. He had also heard of the forming plans to destroy the contract and reassign the chain to someone more "fitting" as soon as possible. He immeadiatly came before the board of heads, pitching that if the chain was really so powerful, it would be a grater risk to try to reassign the chain rather than just leaving it be with the girl. "He could slaughter us all in the few moments of freedom he has between contracts." he had said, "Besides, from what I hear, this girl is just as capeable as any Pandora agent- why else would we innciate her so young? There's no question to it- I say we leave her to her chain."

It had taken them four days to decide. Four days of waiting in anticipation, hardly able to stand not knowing what might become of my contract.

Four days for the chain to seethe in the most secure holding cell Pandora had.

If the agents where not scared of him when he first surfaced from the Aybss, they sure where now. To say in the least, he was _pissed._ Sometimes I was worried that even the contract couldn't protect me from him. Not only was he mad about being snared by Pandora, oh no, that was the _least _of his problems. He had been humbled to a girl. _A thirteen year-old girl._ He made his displeasure clear every chance he could, spitting out my name along with lengthy strings of curses whenever I was in earshot.

And on top of that, he couldn't see a _thing._ I assumed from the beginning that he wouldn't be able to anyway, with him having no eyes and all. But by the sixth time he crashed into tables, chairs, and even a few walls, it soon became clear that being blind was a whole new experience for him.

"I _used_ to see fine," He told me while in one of his less murderous moods, "More than fine. My sight was exceptional- I could sense a chain coming on for miles if I wanted to. Even _you,_" He motioned toward me, nearly clipping my nose with the spoon he had been holding, "I saw you coming long before you landed in my room. Could have killed you long before you landed in my room, too."

He slapped his spoon back into his tea, cracking the porciline cup, "But here? Nothing. How you people cope with this terrible aura, I will never know."

That's where Reim came into the picture. Having had been assigned to keep an eye on me, he spent a lot of his time overlooking the chain and I's 'bonding moments'. Reim is a great guy, don't get me wrong, but unfortunately he's of the squeamish sort. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable around the chain, especially when he left his eyes- or lack thereof- uncovered. One day, he had a lapse of sanity and asked the chain outright to either get glass eyes or keep them permanently covered. The chain then promptly suggested that Reim should gouge both his own eyes out instead.

Reim stayed quiet about it from then on, but apparently it's still bothering him. This morning I woke to find a little package on my bedside table with a note reading only one word: _Please?_ The glass eyes inside where actually quite handsome- if you looked passed the fact they looked a little too real staring up at you from the bundle.

I was hesitant to give them to my chain. Not that I was scared of him, far from it. Today was when Pandora's research team had slated him to be examined. It's not normal producture- but the curious little scientists just couldn't resist when the heard the news of a genuinely human-looking chain. Because of this, my chain was in a simply peachy mood- he even went out of his way to nearly slam the his room door of it's hinges in my face when I came to get him.

The eye looked almost natural, save the odd color, as it glared down at me. I smiled, causing him to frown. He was sightless, yes, but he was very good at picking up emotions of the people around him. "An offshoot of what my true talent is" he had once boasted.

I took wrapping cloth form him, "Are you ready? Reim should be by to pick you up shortly."

"As ready as one can be before being carted off to be prodded." He twisted his foot, grinding the broken glass into the carpet, "And of course I have to have that idiot cart me there-"

"Reim's not an idiot." I chided, "In fact, he's been far too polite to you than you deserve."

He scoffed, "Like all the other Pandora leeches around here? They just want to use me as a weapon- like every other chain they've brainwashed here, not that it's hard to alter those dim underlings."

I remained quiet, busying myself with placing the cloth back in the linens closet across the room. What he said struck a small cord with me. He made Pandora sound like some sort of radical cult. _But that is what we do, isn't it? Capture chains from the Abyss and use them to attack the Baskervilles?_

I shook my head, _What are you thinking, Sharon._ I reasoned, shutting the closet and turning back to my chain, _Of course we do that. Chains are creatures who harm the innocent if not properly tamed. It's the same for him, no matter how human he may seem._

I walked up to him, brushing hair over his empty left socket. "Here-" He reflexively grabbed my arms, stopping me for a second. But then his grip loosened, "I'll do it." He muttered, lowering my arms. He sweapt his misty white hair over, overgrown bangs just long enough to keep half his face covered. We stood there like that for a moment, silence building between us.

The door swung open, "I'm so sorry I'm late I-" Reim skidded to a stop when he saw us, hand still on the doorframe.

I pushed away from my chain, blushing furiously, "It's alright Reim," my words came out about as hastily as my heart was beating, "You can go ahead and take him over. He's ready."

There was a second silence, this time awkward. Reim cleared his throat, "Alright…" He turned to the chain, "Follow me."

My chain muttered something unittellgible as he reluctantly followed Reim out. But before he disappeared out the door, he stopped for just a second.

Without turning, he mumbled something along the lines of "Thanks for the eyes" and left.

* * *

**_A/N: Ello good fellows of the Pandora Fandom! ^^ LaFTA here! If you've read this far into my story, thank you! Your patience must be infinate if you're able to stand my writing for this long... XD Oh, I'd like to thank everyone for all the reviews- 13 for two chapters? That's almost as insane as Break. Just almost. Thanks for all the support so far, and hopefully I'll be able to be more frequent with my posts now that I actually have time to write now that the school year is reaching it's end. Oh, and I'm sorry for misspelling Oscar's last name- I don't have the manga on hand, and I'm too lazy to look up the proper spelling on-line so... yeah. I hope that doesn't bother too many people! :D And also, All chapters written in first person are going to be from either Break or Sharon's point of veiw. Anybody else it's going to be third person. Just putting that out there... ^^"_**

**P.S- Chapter four should be coming up sometime this week (it's already written, I just need to make a few edits) so you won't have to die waiting this time! Yay!**


	4. Just a little blemish

It was obvious to Reim that the chain was clearly uncomfortable with the many scientists milling around him.

They took heart rate, reflexes… verbally gave the chain the beginnings of an IQ test. Even in his sour mood, the chain never ceased to impress the curious researchers.

Reim stood toward the back of the room, observing without saying anything. He had to admit, the chain was cooperating better than he'd expected. Well, at least, nobody had died yet.

"Come take a look at this," One of the scientists muttered to the others, tilting the chains head back and peering into one of his empty sockets. "The optic nerves- they seemed to be torn. It's almost like he _had _eyes but-" The scientist shook his head, and addressed the chain, "I'm assuming you lost your eyes at one point?"

"No," The chain muttered, "I've always been like this."

The scientists exchanged a puzzled look, "But it's clear you had eyes at one point or another- is it possible you where rendered unconscious at any time-"

"I've never submitted to any other but to my lady." The chain growled.

"Sharon?" Reim was looking pointedly at the discarded glass eye sitting on a nearby counter, but he was still listening intently to the conversation, "I didn't know you had already dubbed your loyalty to her-"

"I haven't." The chain snapped, "I serve the Will, and the Will alone. The contract with the other girl is only temporary."

There was a long silence after that, the scientists continuing their tests as Reim remained in the back. At one point a maid came by with tea, and he gladly took a cup, thankful for the temporary distraction of the hot drink and heady steam.

"Can you please take off your shirt?" The scientists were now dispersed across the room, scribbling down notes and thumbing through instruments, leaving only one to tend to the chain.

He shrugged, "Fine."

He slowly unbuttoned his overcoat, as if he was having trouble with the one simple task. The scientist walked up, "Do you need help?"

The chain gritted his teeth, waving her off as he continued to fumble with the buttons. "I'll get the hang of it," he muttered, "I just haven't dealt with buttons that much before, that's all."

But eventually the scientist intervened, efficiently plucking the rest of the buttons undone as the chain sat there, scowling. "It's alright," The woman started as she began unbuttoning the undershirt, "Today's been a long day for you, so I'll try to make this-"

She stopped, and for a moment, the only sounds where that of the shuffling of papers and the scratching of pens.

"Professor Malroy…" The woman stuttered, voice becoming steadily more hysteric, "Professor Malroy… Professor Malroy!"

"_What is it_ Renaldi?" One of the older, more heavyset scientists lumbered over to the chain, obviously irritated to be pulled away from his notes.

_"Look_!" Renaldi peeled the chain's shirt to the side, and the elder scientist's eyes bugged. He shoved the Renaldi to the side leaning in to take a closer look at the chain's chest.

"Get… get me the contracting charts!" Malroy commanded, and the others paused for a moment, looking slightly baffled. He glared up at them, "_Now!"_

There was a mad scramble as the others launched for the files, papers flying around along with the frantic "It should be here"s and "Where else could it be?"s.

Eventually, a series of thin graphs where produced, and hastily taken by Malroy. He held the graphs up close to the chain's chest, as if comparing one of the many designs with the chain. The other scientists- barring Renaldi, who stood in the back, looking horrified- scurried around the large man, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on.

"Impossible…" Malroy breathed, taking a step back from the chain, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. All the other scientists quickly pushed forward, eager to finally see past Malroy. But one by one, they each backed away, same haunted expression etched into their features.

"What?" The chain asked, a bit ticked with the sudden fuss over him, "I've been told all chains have them somewhere. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Renaldi shook her head, "How many other chains have you seen with that?"

The chain faltered, "Well… none. But I… _assumed_ they had them."

Reim looked up from his tea, "What is it?"

"He has the mark of an Illegal contractor," Malroy took another step back so Reim could see, "A _human_ illegal contractor."

Reim dropped his tea, fragile cup shattering on the hard tile floor. Inked plainly on the chain's white chest, was the twisted clockwork symbol of the Abyss. Reim was familiar with it, he'd seen it on many of the illegal contractors he had to apprehend. But only once he had seen it in it's full horror- a contractor collapsed halfway through the chase, and Reim had caught up in time to see the clock make it's final move, and for the wake of the Abyss yawn open just a few short feet from him. He had to watch as the man and his chain get dragged to the depths of the Abyss any hope of survival gone to the wind.

Or so they thought.

"What does this mean?" One of the younger scientists muttered, "That our theory of what happens to the contractors is wrong? That instead of dying they..."

"What are you talking about?" The chain snapped, yanking his shirt over the mark, suddenly self-conscious, "I've never made a contract before now. It's a fluke, that's all."

Malroy shook his head, "There's no mistaking it. That there is a contractor's mark... you where human once..."

"That would explain the human form," Renaldi piped in, "It's leftover from his past life. Just... twisted a little."

A smile crept across another scientist's face, "This is a breakthrough! If we can just figure out how the change happened- we use it against the Baskervilles and-"

"Watch what you're saying boy!" Malroy growled, "Think. This affects all humans- Pandora agents are at risk too. Think about all the agents who have gone missing, lost to the Abyss-" He jabbed a finger at the chain, "Warped into that. Imagine the horrors they must have gone through- this can't be taken lightly!"

"Imagine the horrors..." Reim trailed, eyes locked onto the chain, "But do they even remember them?"

Everyone turned to the chain who for once, didn't look so sure of himself. The question didn't even need to be asked, "The... the first thing I remember is waking to my lady." The chain hissed, clutching his shirt, "I hurt. She healed. She took me in with open arms, a lowly newborn chain who didn't know up from down. It's thanks to her I've gotten where I am now." He gave them his equivalent to a glare, "You happy now? My life story, I'm sure you're touched."

His words hung in the air, stinging all their ears. _He doesn't remember…_ Reim thought,

_Or maybe… he doesn't _want_ to remember._

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, sorry about the uber short chapter. I cut this down... eek... three times? I just couldn't find a good place to end it... or begin it for that matter. So please excuse the choppiness. Unfortunately, I cannot promise the next chapter will be up as quickly as this one (seeing as I'm losing my computer for the next week). But it will get up within the next two weeks, maybe sooner... 0.0. Thank you for reading this far, I really appreaciate it! Reveiws are love, and so is BreakXSharon... ^-^.**


	5. There once was a chain named Break

_**Break's POV**

* * *

_

"_Alyss… What's a human?"_

_I could feel her turn to face me, bright traces of a soft smile licking across my senses, "Where did you hear about humans?"_

"_Cheshire mentioned them," I sighed, leaning back into the spread of cushions, "Said how they where cruel to you."_

_Alyss laughed, "That sounds like him."_

"_Are you going to tell me?"_

_She paused, I could practically hear her gears of thought whirring, "They are… strange creatures. They differ from chains greatly."_

"_What do they look like?" I couldn't help but ask. Since I first woke, I was filled with nothing but questions. Questions I trusted she could answer._

"_Why would you want to know what they look like? You're blind, it's not like you'll need to recognize one." I remained silent, edging her on. She continued, "Well, if you must know, they take a form much similar to you and I's."_

"_Really?" I flexed my fingers, intrigued. From the beginning, Alyss made it clear that my form was rare in the Abyss. In fact, apart from her and Cheshire, I was practically one of a kind._

_That's why she took me in, she had said._

"_Yes…" I heard her kneel down just a few feet in front of me, "They walk on two feet on two legs, like this." She placed her hands on my two feet, running them up to my knees, "And they have two hands and arms also." She lifted her touch from my legs and grabbed my hands holding them for a few seconds, "A heart that beats slowly, right here." She pressed her palms up against my chest, where my heart was._

"_And a lovely face, like yours." She caressed my cheek, her hands slipping behind my neck._

"_Do they have eyes?" I whispered, naked curiosity in my voice._

"_Yes, but they don't use them well." She ran her fingers through my long hair. I could feel her frown, "This is too long. I want you to cut it."_

_I nodded, "Alright. Whatever makes you happy."_

_She giggled, "Forever the yes-man." She kissed my cheek. It burned wonderfully, "I've got just the gift for you to chop all this off."_

_She disappeared for a moment, the sound of her delicate footsteps dancing across my empty vision. When she came back, something sharp slipped into my hands. I frowned, not liking the pain blossoming in my hand, "What's this?"_

"_Well, first, it's not something you grip so hard." She re-adjusted my grip on it, to a rounder, less-cutting part of it. "It's a dagger. I think it's about time for you to spread you wings a little bit, to go out and explore the Abyss."_

_For a moment, I was speechless, "But… but what about you? __I can't…" I choked on my words. __I refused to believe I was about to leave her, I wouldn't. I couldn't._

"_Don't worry, just a few days. Just for you get a feel of things-" She began to guide the blade to the back of my neck, "I can't have my guardian be inexperienced, now can I?"_

_I nodded, the skin on my neck just barely grazing the blade. I took control of the dagger, and with one quick movement, one long lock of hair tied together with a single piece of twine, slid off my shoulder. _

_Alyss plucked it from my lap, I could hear the slight rustle when she wrapped it around her neck like a scarf, "You look dashing." She purred. _

_I sat up, clutching the dagger in my hand, trembling slightly, "You wish me to go now?"_

"_You took the words from my lips." She hummed, mussing my now short hair, "But I have to ask you one more thing before you go."_

_I bowed my head, "My honor is yours, mistress."_

"_Wake up."_

_I frowned, "What?"_

_She suddenly sounded a little rushed, no longer the confident lady I've come to know, "Wake up!"_

"_Wake up!"_

"Wake up!"

I woke to blackness, as per usual, and a hard shaking of my shoulder. I propped myself up on one elbow, "What?"

I could hear the relieved sigh of a young girl, a young girl who was annoyingly not Alyss, "Good. For a moment there I thought you where out for good."

"I can only wish." I muttered, brushing blanket aside as I sat up.

The girl, Sharon, as I've come to learn, sighed, "Well, I can't say I wouldn't want to just end it if I was in your position. How have you been fairing?"

I scowled. _You very well know how I'm fairing._ Ever since the whole fiasco with my apparently "human" contract mark, I've been under constant watch and analysis of the whole of Pandora. I was plucked right out of my room and put into yet another holding cell, this time, indefinitely. Constantly, scientists, researchers, even the odd psychologist would pop down and run me through a whole slew of exercises.

Their goal? To get me to 'remember' who I was as a human.

I snorted, _As if that's ever going to happen._

Sharon took a step back, "Well, I'll take that as a 'not so well thank you.'" I could feel a trace of a smile on her lips, a slight emotional rise, "All the better for me to break you out, then."

I couldn't think of a proper answer, so I just laughed.

Her smile vanished, "What?"

I clapped a hand over my mouth, struggling to stop my fit, "Excuse me for saying, but I doubt you can get me out of here. I haven't, so I'm sure as hell you can't."

She scoffed, "Oh? Then explain how I even got _in_ here then?"

I bit my lip. She had a point.

She began to storm out, "I was _going_ to take you out to the bazaar." Sarcasm dripped off her words, making me flinch, "But I guess since you clearly don't want to come, I guess I'll take Reim instead."

I stumbled out of bed, trailing after her as I yanked a shirt on, "Wait, wait, I'm coming. Sorry to have 'offended' you."

She stopped, "Ah, and so the mighty chain is finally trailing after his master."

"Shut up." I muttered, struggling with the bottom buttons of my shirt. _Stupid buttons…_

I felt her hands on mine, "Here, I'll do it."

We argued a bit, but before I knew it, she was popping buttons into place. But she pause when she reached the third to last button, pushing the white fabric to the side.

I didn't have to ask to know what she was looking at, "Enjoying the view?"

"Not really." She muttered before quickly finishing up the last three.

I grinned, "It bothers you too, doesn't it?"

"No, not… bother…" She shoved an overcoat at me, "It's just… odd, that's all."

My grin grew wider, "You're terrified, aren't you?"

"I didn't say that-"

"I can hear your heart beating, and let me tell you, it's scared half to death."

"Just put on the stupid overcoat and follow me, okay?" She snapped, and I could sense her cheeks heat up.

I slid into the jacket, savoring my little victory. I followed her out the door, and found that the guard that was usually on duty was mysteriously absent. Along with the one down the corridor. And at the entrance of the holding wing of the Pandora headquarters.

"Um, miss Sharon… what did you-"

She shushed me, grabbing my hand and towing me even faster through the halls, "Don't ask any questions until we get outside."

But as soon as she finished the sentence, a door opened.

"What's going on out-" Reim stopped, eyes sweeping over both Sharon and I before groaning, "Sharon…"

"What?" She snapped, "I already told you I was going to do this. Don't act so surprised."

He shook his head, "I thought you were joking."

"Can somebody please explain to me what is going on here?" I hissed.

Sharon ignored my question, and let go of my hand and addressed Reim, "Please Reim, don't tell anyone. We're only going out to the bazaar for tonight. I'll have him back before sunrise, before anyone will know he's gone. _Please."_

I could feel the tension between the two as they stared each other down. Finally, Reim cracked, "Fine." He muttered, "But if you do get caught, I have nothing to do with it, miss Sharon, am I clear?"

Sharon hugged him, "Thank you."

"Well, it's a little two soon for that." He said under his breath, but he hugged her back anyway.

Sharon re-took my hand and resumed dragging me down the hall. But before long, I heard somebody running after us.

"Wait!" Reim whisper-yelled, trotting to a stop next to us, "Miss Sharon… I think you two… might need… this…"

"I almost forgot about that!" Sharon exchanged something with the breathless Reim, thanking him as he plodded back to his room.

When we continued forward, I couldn't help but ask, "What did he give you?"

Sharon snickered as we walked out of the front doors, "You're going to love this…"

Without warning, I felt something cold and hard slide into my right socket. I shook Sharon away, "Of all the wonderful thing you could of gotten, you just had to get this glass monstrosity."

"Come on," Sharon dodged my swatting hands and brushed my hair over my left socket, "We're going out to the bazaar. A _public place._ We can't have you scaring the townsfolk away."

I gritted my teeth, "What if I want to scare the townsfolk."

She looped her arm through mine, leading me down the stone steps up to a carriage, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but your village pillaging days are over-" She stopped, "You don't have a name, do you?"

"Yes I do." I stepped into the carriage before her, "It's Hatter. Or Mad Hatter, if you prefer."

Sharon followed, closing the door behind her, "Mm. That's nice… for the Abyss."

I frowned, "'The Abyss'?"

"Yes. Nice for the Abyss. Now you're in my world, you'll need a more fitting name." The carriage lurched into motion, and she continued, "Something mysterious, but sensible. Something strange, but fitting…"

"I'm fine with Hatter, thank you." I crossed my arms. To be honest, I had never really liked my given name, Mad Hatter, but I refused to give it up since the giver was Alyss.

"No you aren't." She mused, "I can see it all over your face. You want a new name."

"Since when did you care what I want?" I shot back.

"Since you became my chain." She said simply.

We road on for a little without saying much of anything. Then she began pitching names to me.

"How about… Dark?"

"How about not?"

"Snowball?" She mused, "You're hair _is_ pretty white-"

I shook my head, "I'm a chain, not a kitten."

She snapped her fingers, "I got it. Break. I'll call you Break."

I paused, letting it sink in, "Why Break?"

"Well," She shifted in her seat, "My teacher always told me the Abyss was like a broken toy box. Like this world, only fractured. Seeing as you used to be human-"

"Or so the quacks at Pandora say." I cut in.

"Seeing as popular opinion states you used to be human," Sharon continued, "Before you fell into the Abyss and got warped by it… I'd say you're more like a broken human than a chain. Thus, the name Break."

"I won't say that I'll use it myself but…" I began messing with one of my overcoat's buttons, "If you wish to call me by that name, be my guest."

Sharon's delicate smile lit up my senses, "Oh, don't worry, I will… Break."

* * *

**A/N: Ahhhhhhhhh! Remember when I said it will take one or two weeks for this next chapter to come out? Well, I lied. I actually got this thing done in one freaking day! WOAH! It's raining miracles! So, enjoy what you can, because I WILL be losing internet for the next five to six days. So no more Break for that period of time. I know, kills my soul too. Thanks for all the reviews, and for the tolerance to my belated chapter releases and my average writing. ^-^ Reveiws are funny, like a certain chain named Snowball.**


	6. When Break met Emily

_Sharon's POV_

When the carriage stopped, I knew I had made the right decision.

Lantern lights seeped in through the small curtained windows and the sound of chatter and laughter muffled against the wood walls. I smiled, grabbing the door knob, "Ready?"

His lips where pressed in a hard line, "What exactly are you dragging me into?"

"You'll see." And with that, I stepped out of the carriage.

As soon as I hit the ground, I was surrounded by people. The carriage opened to a long and wide street in Resibol, a small town near the Reinsworth residence, which during daylight hours is generally empty save the occasional passerby. But at night, oh at night, it turned into something incredible.

My mother first took me to the Resibol bazaar when I was ten years old. It was her present to me for my birthday, and by far it had to be one of her best. I can still remember the awe I felt when I walked past the simple yet charming stands, the joy of watching one of the many street acts, the smell of absolutely delectable food drifting in the air…

_You must feel that too, don't you Break?_ I looked up at him as he stepped into the street, smiling when he faulted back a bit. After being locked up alone for a week, the sheer amount of bodies packed together in one place must have been a real shock- he was speechless.

I grabbed his hand, dragging him into the crowd, "Come on!"

"Ah…" He resisted, feet cemented to the brick, "I'd rather not…"

I crossed my arms, "What, big bad chain afraid of getting lost?"

He scowled, "I can't be guided around by a ten year old girl."

"I'm thirteen." I corrected, "And don't tell me you're _not_ curious about the outside world. Because I know you are, and I can tell you that this is the only taste of it you're going to get of it for quite a while."

I could have sworn he managed to get a glare at me through the fake eye. Returning his caring gesture with a smile, I led him to the nearest stand. It was a curio setup, everything from wind chimes to dolls, "Come on, I'll buy you one thing- whatever you want, if you agree to make one trip around the bazaar with me."

Break set one hand on the wooden countertop, "Only one trip?"

I nodded, "Only one."

He ran his hand across a few things, mulling the deal over, "Fine. One trip for one thing. That's it."

I couldn't help but smile at his agreement, but it quickly vanished when I saw what he picked. "You can't be serious."

In his hands was what had to be the most hideous doll ever allowed to be created, "What? I like it."

"Alright, I know you're blind but…" I plucked the doll up from his hands by it's long scraggily ponytail, getting a closer look at it. First off, the artist decided to dye it's skin _blue_ of all colors, clashing horribly with an pink little scrap of a dress, "Can you do us all blessed with sight a favor and choose something else?"

He snatched it from my hands, "It's what I want, so it's what I'm getting." A mocking smile played across his lips, "Deal's a deal, right?"

"Fine." I muttered, shoving payment towards the stall keeper.

The figurehead of happiness, Break obediently walked beside me as we headed down the street, balancing the ragdoll on his shoulder. When it stayed, he beamed, "I think we should give her a name…"

_Her?_ "I think I've dealt out enough names tonight, thank-you."

He ignored my comment, "Something with an E… she seems like an E kind of doll…"

I pulled to the side, looking over a sweets display, "Break, this is a doll not your first child." To be honest, I kind of liked the light mood he seemed to acquire when messing around with the nightmarish doll. It was a nice difference from his usual dark cloud he seemed to walk around in.

"Might as well be," He mused. Then he snapped his fingers, "Emily! That's what I'll call her, Emily. I can hear it catching on already."

I laughed, "Oh yes, you two will be infamous."

He shocked me with a chuckle of his own, "_The dynamic dou- Break, and his lady doll Emily._ We'll inspire fear in enemy hearts everywhere."

"Hey-" I grabbed his hand, stunning the both of us, "What about me? Where do I fit into all of this?"

"You?" He held a finger to his lips, as if pondering where I would be, "You would be right at our side. _Sharon, the stern._ Believe me, that will catch on faster than anything."

We both laughed, caught up in the festive mood the bazaar seemed to inspire in everyone. It was astounding, how different he was. The icy wall that had seemed to build up between the two of us at Pandora had completely melted away, giving me a quick glance here and there of what he really was like. A smile. A joke. An encouraging nod. More often than not, I caught myself thinking- no, _believing _–that he was human. _Is that it Break?_ I thought as we reached the street's end, _Is this your human side? Is this who you really are?_

As we passed the last the last stand, I looked up at him, slowing down, "Should we head back?"

He kept walking forward, "Was that all?"

I nodded, speeding back up to his pace when he still didn't slow, "Yeah, there's nothing but empty street ahead."

He abruptly stopped in front of an ally, "Huh."

"Huh what?" I rounded in front of him, trying to get a full view of his face.

His brow was furrowed, confused, "I could have sworn…" He held out his hands, as if feeling for something around him, "The crowd is gone?"

"Yes…" I took a step forward, gently lowering his hands, "I thought you would have sensed that."

He didn't reply right away, confusion still apparent, "But…"

Just like that, understanding snapped across his face. He grabbed me, throwing himself between me and the ally, "Somebody's clouding my senses."

It didn't take much to figure out when he said _somebody_ he meant _chain._ I stiffened, fear freezing me momentarily. But I quickly shook it off, slipping into the battle-mode I had when I first met Break in the Abyss.

I stepped out from behind him. He grabbed my arm, preparing to toss me back to the wayside, but gripped his arm with my free hand. His head cocked slightly my direction when I did this, letting me know he didn't approve my being out in the open, but he relented, his attention returning to the ally.

Deathly silence followed, my heart pounding in my ears, staring into the darkness of the ally that Break had honed in on. For a while, I couldn't see anything, but slowly I was able to make out a shape as it neared the ally's mouth.

A lanky figure stepped out into the lamplight, and for a moment, I thought it was human. But one glance at his claw-like hands told me that this was not the case. Two ruby-red eyes glared at Break through a dark mat of black hair, feline ears twitching slightly.

"Great to see you again, Hatter."

* * *

**A/N: Alright- before I get flamed, I made up Resibol because I couldn't find the actual name of the town the Reinsworths live in. (It wasn't in the manga I have (Vol. 1) or on wiki, and I was being lazy and didn't search through the anime.) ****Yeah... a month, I know. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting for so long, and that this chapter's so short, It's just that with end of the year exams coming up, I've been UBER busy! I'll try to update sooner, but with all tests, I can't be sure.**

**BIG thanks to all who have been reviewing, I really appreciate it! Especially kitsunekunchibi, who actually PM'ed me about when I was going to update (That's never happened to me before, you could say I was a little star-struck even... XD).**

_**Each time somone reviews, Break smiles.**_


	7. My queen,my queen, my eyes for the queen

_**Break's POV**_

"Cheshire, didn't know you where in the neighborhood." I replied stiffly, taking a step forward,"If I did, I would have gotten you something-"

"Cut the formalities." The vibe of bitter resentment seeped into my senses as Cheshire continued to growl on, "You left us wondering, Hatter."

My stomach knotted, and I found myself ducking my head, as I would in my early days whenever Cheshire had 'a few words' to say to me. "Alyss needn't worry, Cheshire. I've just been-"

"I know where you've been, _traitor."_ Cheshire hissed.

Before I could react, he was on me, single clawed hand wrapping around my throat as he drove me into the building behind, nearly taking Sharon with us. His nails dug into my skin as I felt his hot breath against my face, "Let yourself be domesticated, you did. Pandora's turned you into yet another one of their dogs…"

A struggled for air, choking, "Says the damned pussycat."

Cheshire stiffened, and I could almost see his jaw drop, as if I had just slapped in the face. The comment shocked us both. He had been expecting denial, desperate pleas for his and Alyss's forgiveness. And if he had come just a week- no, even a day earlier, that's what he would have gotten. _But…_ I grappled with my senses, just managing to get a brief glimpse at Sharon. _Unharmed._ Even with the possibility of my neck being snapped, I found myself relaxing, relieved. _Cheshire is right. They've gotten me. I serve a different master now._

The chain let out a shriek, and I felt his body shift away from me as he threw his other arm back, preparing to strike. "Let's see how those pretty lips of yours fair when their in pieces." He growled.

"Break!" Sharon screamed, and Cheshire suddenly jerked to the side, losing his grip on me. I slid to the ground, gasping like a fish out of water.

Now, I'm sure that Sharon is a clever girl, she proved that when we first met. But, she's also a young girl. A young, _teenage_, girl, and thus prone to be overcome by an annoying thing I like to call _emotions._ So instead of running, and perhaps getting a little more useful help, she jumped Cheshire, throwing herself onto the arm he was just about to strike me with.

Leading to the one of the most regrettable situations I have yet to come across.

"You little-" Cheshire batted her away, managing to catch her across the arm with his claws, and the taste of spilt blood burst across my tongue. I scrambled to my knees, "Sharon!" I yelled, shakily making my way onto my feet, the cuts across the back of my neck opening up with a new round of blood. There was a dull _thud_ when she hit the ground, and I stumbled towards the sound, praying to whoever would listen that she would be alright.

But I got no more than two steps when Cheshire snatched me. Now being able to breath, I was able to put up a better fight. But I didn't have my rapier with me, my best weapon, and while my nails where indeed quite sharp, it was like trying to fight off butcher knives with thumbtacks.

_Why don't you make him… disappear?_ I hesitated, shocked by the rebellious voice. This gave Cheshire just enough time to pin me up to the wall again. Cheshire held me at the shoulders, "Sharon? The little girl's your master then?"

Cheshire leaned in, chuckling before whispering in my ear, "I have to say, Alyss and I will have plenty of fun playing with her once your gone, Hatter."

Rage boiling up inside me, I made one last strike at him, hoping the blow would land somewhere where it would leave a visible scar, so that even in death, I'd be remembered.

But I more than hit my mark.

He screamed as my fingers dug into his right eye, and he jerked away, causing me to rip it out. I stood there, shocked as blood oozed between my fingers and down my arm. "So that's how it is…" Cheshire sputtered, backing off, "Well, I'm sure Alyss will simply be… _heartbroken._"

It was with his words that the full realization hit. _Alyss will be… heartbroken… _my chest ached, and I staggered back against the wall. Suddenly, I was unsure of my devotion to Sharon. _The reason… my will… she'll be heartbroken._ My head was spinning, and it felt like my heart had been torn out.

"Now that's more like it…" Cheshire sneered, "Unfortunate that it's too late."

He left me then, letting me wallow in guilt. But amidst my deteriorating thoughts, the same voice from before spoke up. _You still have the eye, don't you?_

_So? My lady will leave me. She'll kill me…_ I moaned, sliding to the ground.

_An eye of your own… _It giggled,_ how 'bout you give it a whirl?_

I ran a bloody thumb over the eye, _What? Just stick it in and it'll suddenly grant me sight? Nature doesn't work that way…_

_But who ever said you where natural?_ The voice prodded, _Yes, Alyss was your creator. And that comes with blessings along with it's curses. This just so happens to be a blessing._

I held it up, unsure, _But…_

_Try it. _It sighed, _If it doesn't work, you can blame me._

At a loss of what else to do, I gingerly pulled out my glass eye, throwing it to the ground with a satisfying _crunch._ Slowly, I lifted Cheshire's eye to the empty socket, hand shaking.

_Not Cheshire's eye. Your eye._

I slid it in, and for a moment, nothing happened. But as soon as I was about to take it back out, white hot pain seared through my skull. I doubled over, grabbing my head in my hands, mouth gaped open in a silent scream. And then, like a candle being snuffed out, I blacked out, crashing onto the damp brick street.

_I opened my eyes, looking up at Knight. "Kevin…" The chain rumbled, "Get up, Pandora's coming."_

_I coughed, sitting up, "Give them all the time they want," I muttered, "They won't find us. They won't."_

_Knight nodded, fading into the shadows at the sound of running feet and shouting. Scrambling to my feet, I scurried behind a crate of rotting potatoes. I pressed my back close to the wood, trying to make myself as small as possible. I held my breath as shadows ran across the mouth of the ally I was in, chains and agents shouting at one another when they lost the trail. I relaxed when they disappeared, voices fading off down the road. I ripped the front of my shirt open, accidently popping a few buttons doing so. Looking down at my pale chest, my stomach flipped. The seal on my chest had moved yet another notch, just two spaces away from… well, I didn't want to think of what._

"_Not enough time…" I moaned, looking up at Knight when he re-emerged, "How many have we killed?"_

"_Ninety-eight, sir. Counting the ones tonight." The chain chuckled, "I must say, those where by far my favorite."_

_I shifted uncomfortably at the talk of murder, running a hand through my hair. It stuck, and I sighed, pulling my hand down to see it stained in blood. "Didn't know the blow was that hard."_

_Knight shook his head, "The Pandora dog had a lucky shot, that's all. You're still breathing. Still human."_

"_Yeah…" I said, getting onto my feet, "At least I have that. But soon, soon it'll be more. I'll have my master back… for her."_

_Knight remained silent, and I staggered down the ally. Rain began to fall as I looked back to him, "Coming?"_

"_Of course." He bowed his head, and then disappeared into my shadow._

_With another cough, the man only known as the red-eyed ghost disappeared through a cellar door, where he would wait until the next night for the kill._

_**A/N: Oh my lord, woah. I apologize for the not-so-hot first draft I posted last night. It was late, I was being kicked off the computer, and I didn't have time to review my work before posting it. Trust me, I would never have posted it so soon if I knew I accidentally switched to the third person halfway through. -.-"**_

**_As you can see, action scenes are not my fort'e. So... just like in the actual anime, you get a five-second still shot and then it's over! XD Read and review, Break was all smiles last time! So let's see if we can cheer both him and Sharon up now! ^_^_**


	8. A Quiet use of Charm

_Somewhere in the Abyss~_

"Cheshire… what happened to your eye?"

Alyss looked up from her dolls, concern etching her features when her favorite feline came staggering in. He collapsed before her, head resting on her lap, looking up at her through blood-matted hair, "Hatter… he… _took it back._"

For a moment, Alyss just sat there, watching the trail of blood branch out in new streams across Cheshire's face.

Then she laughed.

And laughed, and laughed, and laughed, until tears sprung up in her eyes. "He… _took it back?_" She shrieked, all giggles, "You let him get a swipe at you?"

Cheshire gritted his teeth, "_Yes._ Took it back to _Pandora_ of all places, my lady."

Alyss calmed down, reaching down and ripping a bit of fabric from her dress and dropping it on Cheshire. "Here," She snickered, "Wash out your hair and bandage yourself up. You're bleeding all over me."

"You don't understand!" Cheshire cried, remaining crimson eye furious, "He _betrayed _you, Alyss. He's been consumed by Pandora!"

"I don't understand?" Alyss frowned, looking down at the chain sprawled out in front her. She placed one hand on each side of his head, cupping his face, "No Cheshire, I believe it's _you_ who doesn't understand." His eye fluttered shut when she brushed her thumb over it, "You know, our dear Hatter was just as excited when he first met me. But taking his eyes out calmed him in a pinch, didn't it?" She leaned in, kissing Cheshire's forehead before whispering, "Maybe I should do the same for you."

Cheshire froze, "Please… don't. I beg of you, don't."

She stared at him for a moment, but then leaned away, letting him go. "Hm. I guess it would be a waste if I where to blind you- you where absolutely useless before I granted you sight, and now you'd probably be the same."

Cheshire slid away onto his knees, bowing his head, "Thank you."

Alyss got up, walking across the room to the bed of cushions in the back. She ran her hand over an ivory throw pillow, of which had just a hint of a crimson stain splashed across it. "You just have to realize, Cheshire, Hatter is still merely a child. And children need room to grow." Her nails tore through the thick cloth, "He's just going through a rebellious phase… that's all."

Cheshire stood, wrapping the bandage across his bad 'eye', "Is he?"

She nodded, slowly pulling the stuffing from the pillow, "Of course. He'll come to his senses eventually… I can feel it."

"Yes, eventually, but what about _now?_" Cheshire finished tying the knot behind his head, "He's serving a different master, a master of which wants nothing but your destruction."

Alyss waved him off, "Just Pandora. They're no threat to me…" She hesitated, "What's his contractor's name?"

"Sharon," Cheshire growled, "Sharon of the Reinsworth nobility."

"Just a Reinsworth?" Alyss sighed, "A shame, I was hoping for a Bezerious."

Cheshire bit back any comments about _that_ particular branch of nobility, and walked over next to her. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she smiled, setting the pillow down to scratch him behind the ears. A low purr rose from his chest, and she laughed again. She looked down at the torn pillow, holding out a hand to it.

"_Alyss… what's a human?"_

She closed her eyes, letting out another long sigh.

_Please return soon, my dear Hatter._

_**A/N: Okay, hopefully this little chapter will make up for the last ones shortness/not-so-hotness. Again, SO sorry for posting the crap-tastic rough draft of chapter 7. Really, I was beating my head on a post for hours when I realized I accidentally switched to third person halfway through... ^^"**_

**_Anywho, for those still tolerating this madness, reviews are like... candy. And as we all know, Break is the candyman and needs his sweets._**


	9. Shut up, and walk with me

_Me:_ Yay! We've made it to chapter nine! ^_^

_Sharon:_ You know, you should really start replying to the reviews. People really like it when authors do that.

_Break:_ She has a hard enough time updating within the month, let alone to write out replies.

_Me:_ I'm not that lazy.

_Break:_ Then why haven't you done it yet?

_Emily:_ Screw it, nobody will review this. And since when did you do a preface, LaFTA?

_Break, Sharon, & I_: O.O

_Me:_ Break… did your doll just-?

_Sharon:_ Um… please enjoy the latest installment of Broken Chains!

* * *

_Sharon's POV_

"What do you mean he doesn't want to see me?"

Renaldi gave me a sad look, "I'm sorry Miss Reignsworth, but he wishes to be alone."

I stared angrily at the door behind her, one where Break most likely sat listening behind. A hand on my bandaged arm, I shook my head, "Why?"

She gave me a gentle smile, "He's going through a lot, and he's finally responding to our treatments. Naturally, he must be a little… out of it."

Scowling, I turned back to the hall, but she caught my shoulder, "Hey, don't worry about it. He's completely fine."

"I just want to see it for myself…" I brushed her hand off and continued down the hall, fuming. _What happened?_ It had been no more than three days since the 'bazaar incident', and yet time stretched out terribly for me. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see him lying on the street, screaming. No matter how many people surrounded us, trying to help, he was alone. Locked in some night terror, bleeding not only from the gashes the Cheshire had given him, but his left eye socket seemed to have newly opened up to blood, his other eye screwed shut.

I had missed at most a minute of the interchange between Break and Cheshire, and within that time, Cheshire left, Break passed out _and_ gained an eye.

So it would be an understatement to say I was just a little worried and confused.

Thankfully, Pandora responds well to a call for help, and not much blood was shed before the two of us got bandaged up. But as soon as we where kicked out of the carriage, we where torn separate ways- Break back to the cells, and me, to my mother. Granted, three in the morning was not when she's known to be at her finest, but I have to say, she went easy on me. Even in the midst of her tongue-lashing, I could see it in her eyes. Just like me, her mind kept wandering to Break.

She soon tired of yelling, seeing as she'd rather be in bed than stand in her nightgown in the chilly corridor, and banished me to my room.

I woke up the next morning expecting news on Breaks condition. It was "Classified", apparently, until I wheedled it out of Reim. Assured that Break was 'Indeed alright', I continued my day going over minute details with the researchers who where given the responsibility of Break's 'predicament'. The session went long into the night, and as soon as I was let go, I crashed onto my bed, already asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The second day I woke to a buzz, seeing as early that morning Break finally woke. There was such a crowd in the holding wing, I could hardly make it past the doors, let alone ask someone if it was alright to see him.

So here I am, twelve noon on the third day, being told that after all that, my own chain 'doesn't want to see me'. I slammed my bedroom door shut, and began pacing back and forth in the space in front of my dresser. I _had_ to see that man for myself, but how? _Well, I could try sweet-talking Reim… no. That won't work. He's not that big of a pushover… but what else? Try to sneak in? Break's right, I can't stage an escape alone to save my life. Why doesn't he want to see me?_

I stopped in the middle of the room, staring into the empty space in front of me. Again, uncertainty and fear stirred up. I glance over to the wardrobe across from me. _He's a chain. No matter how human he may seem, he's just a chain._ The old words stung my ears. _But he isn't. He's human… or, was…_ I closed my eyes, seeing his smile. It was warm and welcoming, so unlike the crazed grin he wore in the Abyss.

_But which one's you?_ I walked up to the wardrobe, running my hands over its doors. They rested on the handles, and I opened it up. I looked over the coats and cloth organized neatly inside, courtesy of the maids. That's why I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the two beady black eyes staring up from the folds of some bedclothes.

"Scared me…" I picked Emily up from wardrobe, brushing the doll's hair back in place. With all the excitement in coming in that night, I had nearly forgotten about Emily. Reim had found the little thing on the street the morning after the bazaar, doing follow-up for Pandora. He didn't know if it was ours or not, so he picked it up and asked me, just in case. I was still a little flustered then, and basically just snatched it from him and chucked it into the nearest drawer… or wardrobe.

I sat on my bed, fiddling around with the little monster's dress. She truly was an eye-sore, but she provided me with a little connection to Break. I fell back on my pillow, holding her out above me, "Wonder how he's going to react now that he can actually _see_ you…" I muttered.

"_It's not like he's all that pretty to look at, either."_

I shot up, looking around the room. _Reim…? _"Um… hello?"

"_Down here, darling."_

My gaze slowly fell to my feet, where Emily was sprawled across, _"How's the weather up there, hun?"_

"Did you…" I felt my face pale, "_did you just say something?"_

There was a giggle, _"I believe so. What do you think?"_

I don't know how long it took me, staring down at the thing, to regain my bearings. But eventually I was able to bring myself to ask, "A… chain?"

"_Ah, straight forward, I like that." _Emily sighed, _"Nice difference from some of the other oafs I've been with."_

I picked up the little doll from its ponytail, holding it out in front of me, "You didn't answer my question."

"_Mm. Clever too. How annoying."_ I could almost see something glint in its eyes, _"Well, I guess you could call me a chain of sorts."_

"Interesting form for a chain-"

"_Oh, shut up."_ Emily snapped,_ "If I had the choice of getting out of this thing, I'd gladly take it."_

_Well, I'm glad someone agrees with me… _"Get out? So you're bound to this, then?"

"_Ridiculous, I know." _Emily huffed.

I stared her down, eyebrow raised. A second chain, of everything in the world, the last thing I needed was a possessed doll giving me lip. "Does Break know?"

"_I doubt it." _Emily 'tsked, _"I'm pretty sure he thought I was some voice of reason when I tried to talk him into putting that old eye to use. He was so screwed up in the head… hell; I probably could have talked the poor guy into a murder in that state."_

I frowned, "You talked him into… an _eye?_"

"_Well, Cheshire's eye."_

"You made him steal Cheshire's eye?" I gasped.

"_No, no, no. He already had the eye. I was just… moral support."_

"Uh-huh…" I glared down at the thing, "And I suppose you'll start making him see dead people as well."

"_It depends on what you mean by 'dead people'."_

I groaned, _Serves me right. I spend all day wishing I can see a chain, and here it is. Oh joy. _I glanced into a nearby looking glass, and suddenly an idea came to me. I stood up, walking to the door, "Emily, can you move?" _Why didn't I think of this sooner?_

"_No. In fact, I couldn't even speak until your little friend had the kindness to bleed all over me-"_

"Good." I interrupted, grabbing a small handbag and shoving the small chain into it, "Just keep your mouth shut and don't do anything, okay?"

"_What about-?"_

"No." I hissed, snapping the purse shut. I trotted down the halls, dodging between agents and chains alike as I got closer and closer to the holding wing. But after making a turn for the fifth time at a rather large painting of duke Barma, Emily started having her doubts. _"You're lost, aren't you?"_

"I'm not lost. I was just there myself." I muttered.

"_Well, did you pay attention where you where going on your way back?"_

"Of course I was…" I said, 'accidentally' whapping my handbag into a nearby pillar.

"Excuse me, can I help you Miss?" I turned to see a rather wierded-out maid who appeared to be in the middle of a laundry mission before hearing my little 'conversation'.

I gave her an assured smile, "No, I'm just fine, thank-you."

"_Ask the nice lady where the holding cells are."_

The maid's eyes widened, "What was that?"

"Nothing." I leaned against the pillar, making sure to pin my handbag between my hip and the hard marble.

"_Mmmph!"_

"Um…" The maid backed away slightly, eyes straying to my bag, "Well, if you need anything… don't be afraid to ask, alright?"

"_What the hell is wrong with you-? "_

_Whap! _"Of course." I chirped, giving the young woman another bright smile. She returned it with a shaky service smile, and quickly turned back to her work, wheeling her cart down the hall as fast as its little wheels would allow.

I turned back around, flipping the handbag open and hissing, "What part of 'keep your mouth shut' don't you understand?"

"_I'm sorry, you kind of knocked that particular bit out of me while you where beating me into a wall."_

"Pillar." I corrected, throwing the bag closed and storming back down the corridor. Despite Emily's constant declarations, I was able to eventually find the right holding cell, and was greeted by a rather tired-looking Renaldi. She gave me a small smile, "Sharon, we've been over this. He still doesn't want to see you."

"I know, but this is important." I hold out my purse for Renaldi to see, "It's… it's what I bought for Break at the bazaar before… well, you know."

She held out her hand, and I placed the purse in it. She flipped it open, and pulled out Emily. She gave me a look, "A doll?"

I nodded, "Yes, he and I got it at the beginning of the night. Even though he only had it for an hour, he really got attached to it. Started wearing it around on his shoulder." I pointed to my own shoulder as if to make a point, but Renaldi looked unmoved. I sighed, "Just ask him, okay?"

Still eyeing me, she walked over to the door, and flipped the metal cover off of the barred window that was about eye-level. She knocked on the door, and the cover on the other side opened. Malroy was on the other side, "What is it, Renaldi?"

Renaldi cleared her throat, "The chain-"

"His name is Break." I cut in.

She glanced back at me, "Um, yes, _Break_ has a visitor."

Malroy shifted behind the window, trying to look past Renaldi, "Who? We're running a tight schedule, and we can't have too many distractions."

Renaldi shifted uncomfortably, "Um, It's Miss Sharon, sir."

There was a loud crash behind Malroy, and he staggered back a bit. Renaldi looked down, shaking her head, "I'll take that as a no…"

But Malroy soon returned to the window, looking a tad ticked, "Well, there goes whatever progress we have. You can tell Miss Sharon he wishes to be left be."

Renaldi began to turn back around to repeat the order, but I stepped up to the window, "Tell him I brought Emily."

Malroy, finally able to see me through the small window, gave me an incredulous look, "Emily?"

I took the Emily, who was being surprisingly tight lipped, from Renaldi, showing it to Malroy, "Emily. His doll. I thought it might help him… open up to treatment a bit." I chewed the inside of my cheek while I watched him mull the offer over. I was lying through my teeth, but I was desperate to find out what had happened that night.

His eyes went from me, to Emily, to Renaldi, then back to me. Finally, a series of clicks and whirrs hummed from the door, and it groaned open. Malroy pushed it the rest of the way, giving both me and Emily a long, hard look.

"Well, you better work your magic. Lord knows we need it."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Right-o. This is officially the longest chapter so far, so... *still feels as if she needs to make up for chapter 7* yeah. If I only had one thing to say about this chapter, it's probably that Emily is freaking fun to write for. XD

I'm kinda nervous about what's coming up next, because so far, it looks like it's going to be one of those Break-emo oneshots. Only problem is, I'm not the best at writing serious (as you can see by Sharon and Emily's display), so I could use some pointers! ^_^.

_Read and review, or you may end up like Emily... O.o_


	10. Fire and Ice

It's a strange thing, realizing that your life had been a total lie.

What's even stranger are the words to describe such a feeling… because there are none. Not that I'm in much a state to be thinking in terms of poetry, seeing as I can hardly keep track of what's past and present.

_Dreams and reality._

Whenever I closed my eye, it felt like I was watching an old movie reel. The same scattered scenes played over and over in my head, drilling themselves into me. Reclaiming their rightful place, I suppose. They locked me in, forcing me to watch, again and again and again. I screamed, I begged, pleading for it all to stop. But what madman believes that memories of the past care what the bearer feels about them? They still make them remember, make them hurt. And so, snippets of human memory polluted my formerly pure memories as a chain.

_Or is it the other way around?_

I relived, over and over the few precious moments that I had seen Alyss.

I relived, over and over, every second of agonizing pain when she gouged my eyes out.

_"You're a lot more cooperative blind. I'm glad."_

But eventually, they exhausted, and for the first time in a lifetime, my eye opened to the bright light of the world.

_It hurts._

But I wasn't really awake. I was numb as people buzzed around me, treating my eye and its hollow brother. They also asked me questions, or, I think they where questions.

_Trust me, you don't want to know._

My voice had long since worn from screaming, and the only tears that would come anymore where of a sickly red.

_How fitting._

I let them wrap my wounds with a cold indifference, not really caring what they had to do with me.

_Not like I'm human anymore. I can never be._

Light burned my eye, it still trying to adjust to its new host. But I welcomed the pain.

_Anything to distract me from… her._

But between the taxing labor of wakefulness and the blessed nothingness of sleep, my thoughts always returned to her. My Will. My Alyss. My purpose of living.

_Until now._

No matter where I looked, I saw her. I could hear her laugh, feel her touch, smell that scent of tea and roses that I had loved so much. And each time I did, my heart broke.

_She lied._

She had fooled me. Twisted me into her doll… her toy, and made me delight in every moment of it. She made me trust her, made me serve her, made me _love_ her. I didn't remember much from my human life, but the driving point was that I had one. I was alive. I was free. I was _me. _She had stolen it all away for… what? I had signed a contract, but for no reason that I could remember.

_Why did I throw my life away?_

That and about a dozen other unanswered questions tore through my mind. I would never have the answers.

I would never want the answers.

That's why I couldn't see Sharon.

And yet… here she was. She stood at the door, watching me, but I couldn't meet her gaze. When I first heard her name, bitter resentment had raged through me. For all I knew, she just wanted to use me, to wear me thin and then throw me to the wayside. _Just like Alyss._ The only time I would speak was to demand for the guards to never let the girl in, or I'd surely kill myself. For a while, they respected my threat, not about to risk losing Pandora's most prized specimen for the good will of a young lady. But I should have known it would not last, that Sharon would find her way in, one way or another.

But now that she was here… suddenly, I wasn't so sure.

Finally, she stepped forward, "Are you doing well, Break?"

I scowled, glaring at the wall across from my bed. I wouldn't look at her. _I wouldn't._

Another step, "You forgot Emily."

I caught sight of her movement in my peripherals, and I snapped my eye shut. _I won't… I won't…_

There was another long pause. Lightning shot through me at her touch, my eye flew open and I threw my arm out, swatting her away, "Don't tou-"

I froze.

I saw her.

_I saw her._

Her lavender eyes where level, calm despite my outburst. Brown hair was messily pulled back, signifying a troubled night's sleep, loose strands framing her heart-shaped face perfectly. I sat there, eye locked on her, drinking in every detail. I reached out hesitantly, closing the space between us. _Surely this can't be real..._

My hand hung in the empty air for a second, as if waiting for permission to move forward, permission that was granted when she didn't flinch away. My fingers brushed against her warm cheek, my skin as white as parchment compared to her flushed face. It felt as if my hand would melt away just then, like ice under the kiss of sunlight.

Words where a loss to me. It was then I realized, I was wrong.

_I was wrong._

She was nothing like Alyss. Nothing like the snow maiden in white, with her frozen touch and heart of stone.

Sharon slid her hand over mine, warming it even more as she lowered it down from her face.

She smiled, "Hello, Break."

* * *

**A/N: Oh, yes, a short little diddy of a chapter that starts out as angst and ends in fluff. Please don't murder me.**

**In case you haven't noticed, I'm updating all my stories at once, because... well, I'm looking at a busy two weeks of field work ahead of me. That's what I get for living on a farm, I guess. So I decided to quick get an update on all of them up before I dissappear off the face of the internet. But I hope to maybe squeeze chapter eleven of broken chains before I have to go detassle corn, but that's more hope than promise.**

**Oh, and if you see any errors (more specifically, if I accidentally switch to third person halfway through) please alert me of them. I would strongly appreciate it.**

**Sorry for the long author's note, but if you read and review, I'll give Break a piece of candy!**


	11. Sweet, Sugar, Candy Man

_Sharon's POV_

"Break, is there anything you want to tell me?"

I waited at one side of the cell, watching closely as my chain shook his head, "No."

"How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"Why?"

He shrugged, his flat stare sending my heart into a backflip. Since delivering Emily, I've made it a habit to visit Break at least once a day. At first, I looked forward to my time with him, just happy he allowed me to see him, but as time wore on, I grew tired of the almost scripted conversations we'd engage in.

"_How are you Break?"_

_"Fine."_

_"Did you sleep well?"_

_"No."_

_"Oh. Have you decided to pitch Emily yet?"_

It was frustrating, that after I had finally gotten him to open up to me, he snapped back shut tighter than ever before. Day after day, week after week, he just floated through the hours, giving me the _same _answers with the _same_ look on his face while staring off in the _same_ patch of air.

Renaldi assured me it was just a phase, and that this was a huge improvment compared to the harrowing depression he was in before I had come along.

But Murphy's law, ever on the ball, kicked in as soon as I began to believe her. One afternoon I came in to find him still not out of bed, and his breakfast and lunch where left untouched. A little worried, I asked him if anything was wrong.

But he only shrugged.

The next day I came in to find a the same scene-a lethargic chain and a pile of untouched food. I did more prying, but he remained unresponsive, giving me the blank stare he had long since perfected. I went to Renaldi, who was at this point just as concerned as I was, but there was nothing she could do, either. But today, when again, he gave me that terrible stare, I knew I had to do _something_.

He looked down at his hands, "I don't know."

I crossed the room and sat at the foot of his bed, "Maybe it's because you haven't eaten?"

His brow furrowed, as if the prospect of starvation wasn't much of a concern, "I don't think so."

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

Now it was my turn to be confused, "You're not?"

He shook his head, "No. I don't think I need to eat."

I stared at him for a few moments, mulling the idea over. True, most chains don't eat human food, and true, that's because most chains just don't plain eat. But Break... I had a hard time imagining him as one of those chains. From what I could gather, there was still a small piece of him that was human, and that human piece was _bound_ to get just a bit peckish sooner or later, "Then why do you think you're tired?"

His eye closed, "I don't know."

After another painful moment of silence, I pulled out my purse. _Time for plan b..._ I flipped the top open and I glanced over to Break.

_"What'cha got in there?"_

I resisted the urge to hurl my purse at the little blue monstrosity, but only because she was sitting too close to Break's head. Instead, I shot her a glare before answering, "Nothing for you."

To this, Break opened his eye again. He didn't say a word, but his curiosity was plain. I smiled, and held up my purse, giving it a shake.

_Chick-a-chick-a-chick-a_

His eyebrow arched, "What's that?"

"Something that you'll like." I reached into my purse, and pulled out a copper tin, giving it another shake.

_Chick-a-chick-a_

_"A candy can?"_ Emily scoffed, "_For a second there I thought it would be something a little more tasteful-"_

"Candy... can?" Break interuppted, hung up by the forign term.

I nodded, placing the tin on his lap, "It's a can of candy."

His lips were pressed, "Candy?"

My smile grew, "It's food, except... better tasting."

_"Not to mention fattening."_

Break somehow found what Emily said funny, and with a chuckle he picked up the candy can. He fiddled around with it a bit, before he managed to pop the lid open. Pinching it between his thumb and finger, he picked up the first hard sweet from the collection. He glanced between me and it, hesitant.

"Reim got these for you," I assured, leaning over to pick up a piece of my own, "He's been worried, and thought this might help get your appitite back in working order."

Break nodded, and twisted the sweet free of the wrapper. He slid the red drop into his mouth, rolling it around in his cheek, experimenting.

I was about to ask how he liked it, when his hand shot back into the tin, ripping off another wrapper and popping another sweet in a blink of an eye. I drew back and watched, trying not to laugh as he burned through the stash, wrapping foil flying all over the bed. Before long, he reached the bottom of the tin (it wasn't that big, just enough for a few sweets), and he stared down at the naked metal.

Then, he looked back up to me, "I think I'm hungry."

* * *

**A/N: My greatest apologies! I haven't been able to update in what seems like forever... O.o. With flooding, work, and now the reoccurance of school, my time to write lately has been next to zero. But hopefully, when I get more organized, I'll be able to produce longer, better chapters more often (Just as long as History class doesn't keep getting in the way).**

**In regards to this chapter... BREAK IS NOW ADDICTED! YES! He is now the candyman, and is taking his first steps to becoming the Break we all know... and love. ^_^**

**_Each time you review, Sharon and Break split a chocolate bar._**


	12. Button, Button

**_Break's POV_**

_Back, forth, back, forth…_

"_Are you sure we should be doing this?"_

_I looked down at her, her blond hair aglow in the dim of the candles. Music hummed against the hall walls, sweet ballroom notes squeezing underneath the doorjamb, a honey lullaby. My smile was gentle, "Of course. In fact, the master gave me a day of leave-"I held a finger to my lips, "But I came anyway, for you, my dear."_

"_Demi…" She rolled her eyes, "Don't you ever take a break?"_

"_What? Never!" I gasped in mock shock, "I can never let my guard down, not for one second! Evil never rests…" I propped her chin and smirked, "So why should I?"_

_She laughed, and leaned in closer, "And they say chivalry is dead."_

_We sway back and forth to the rythm of my heartbeat, she acting as timekeeper with her head resting against my chest. And only my heartbeat. The orchestra had retired not to long ago, but she doesn't even notice._

_But I do._

_I bury my face in her thick, wonderful hair. It smells of grass and roses. I can't help but wonder if she was pruning red or white ones this afternoon, "Busy day?"_

_She scoffs, "You'd think they'd find a better job for the grounds keeper."_

_Her eyes twinkle blue when she looks up to me. My heart hollows out, along with my smile, "I thought women liked flowers."_

"_Not when they have thorns." She frowns, breaking out of her trance, "Demi… do you hear that?"_

_I pull her closer, slipping back into my jovial suit, "The conductor must be taking a break."_

_To my dismay, she shakes her head, "No… it sounds like…"_

_I sigh and let her go when those eyes that had made me hurt widen, and she scurries over to the heavy oak doors and pull them open._

_She screams, and I become hollower._

_The ballroom has been decimated to ruin, and the walls are now colored crimson instead of its regal crème. Masquerading bodies litter the checked dance floor; dukes, nobles, duchesses and staff… all dead. The conductor, as previously stated, was taking a break, hanging from the chandelier by his own coattails._

_Only Knight remains, a bloodied pillar still picking off the remaining survivors._

"_I'm so sorry you have to see this…" When my hand clamps onto her shoulder, I can feel it shake, "I wanted to spare you, I really did."_

"_Why…" She didn't look at me. She didn't have to, "Demi, what are you—? "_

_The end of my rapier winks at me from the other side of her corset, "Damned, my dear."_

_I pull the blade from her flesh before she can utter another syllable, and she crumples to the ground, bleeding and gasping and crying._

_We meet gazes one last time, the life fading from those blue pools, "Demi…"_

"_That's not my name." I say stiffly, "It's Kevin. Kevin Regunard."_

_My timing is just enough to paint her over with horror before her eyes glaze over. Without another thought, I begin navigating my way through the maze of carnage to Knight. It's difficult, but I manage._

"_You could have at least let me finish her off…" He trails, ruefully eyeing the wilted beauty._

_I sheathe my sword and shrug, turning for the exit. He doesn't move, his sights still on her, "What was her name?"_

_Another shrug. I'd long since given up on keeping track of my victims._

Before I even open my eye, I curse.

"_Language…" _Emily sings, and I feel obliged whack the little doll across the room. With a groan, I sit up, clawing off the bed sheets that still tried to keep hold of me. I stay like this for awhile, continuing one of a series of staring contests with the wall.

It wins of course, making the score 46-0.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed, my pale feet meeting with the even paler tile of the cell floor. One more stare down, score's now 47-0. As if I wasn't in a sour enough mood already.

Sighing, I get up and stretch, strolling around the small space provided. According to Sharon, Yesterday was our six-month anniversary.

Yes, six months. Time flies when you're penned by Pandora.

It's shocking, really, how much has changed in such a short amount of time. Sharon hasn't been around all that much, her tutor having trapped her into a cell of English and arithmetic. But I haven't been alone.

Her mother, Shelly… she stops by nearly every day. Our exchanges are far from elaborate, and the main reason she drops by is so that she can update her daughter on my condition, but she has this… warmth to her. She's one of those people who light up a room just by walking into it. She also has taken to checking and replacing my bandages, sparing the egg heads up in research some worry and me the tension.

I guess you can say I now know where Sharon gets her charm from.

Also, there are the memories. They come frequently now, sprinkling my days with visions of bloodshed and heartache. I guess being 'human' isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

I shudder, recalling the glazed blue eyes from the dream, "Bloody hell…"

"_What's the matter, hun?"_ Emily hums from the little heap in the corner. Not that she doesn't already know, but it heartens me she cares enough to ask.

"You're damn eye screwing with my head, that's what." I mutter, scooping her up before settling on the foot of my bed.

She chuckles, _"How many times do I have to tell you? It's—"_

"—My eye, right." I bounce her on my knee, smirking when she begins to protest. Don't get me wrong, I love my doll… just not as much as I love to harass the little monster.

There's a knock on the door (not that it makes much of a difference, seeing as I have no control over who invades my personal space) before the sound of the tumbler announces my latest visitor. I tuck Emily under the covers, steeling myself for another round with the nerd herd.

To my surprise, the nerd's singular, "There you are."

_Yes, because I'm just that hard to find nowadays… _I relax, but just a little. An awkward moment passes as I scan over Reim, and him, me. The last time we saw each other was in the hallway before the whole bazaar fiasco. Well, I use 'saw' very loosely, because it was before I had my eye, and the only reason I know it's him is his voice. That thin, nervous voice that made him always sound like he was perpetually in a hurry. His glasses were crooked and the top two buttons of his uniform were unbuttoned, going well with his messy brown hair.

Yeah, this was Reim all right.

"What do you want?" I lean back, pretending to be bored. _Like how Cheshire always acted around me when A—_ I shake my head, stamping out the sick feeling before it can roll over me again.

"Well," He clears his throat, "Lady Shelly wishes to speak with you."

"Oh?" I sit up, forgetting my façade. _Why doesn't she just come down herself? Is it something important? Could it…_ my pulse quickens, _could it be that I'm being let go? That I'll be able to walk free again?_

"Yes, and she wants you to ready yourself and be in her chambers within the hour." He then drops the official air and adds, "Also… Miss Sharon wanted me to give you these."

My ears perk to the metallic clang of tin and sweets. Out of his pocket, he pulls a small candy can. A smile surfaces. I'm starting to like this guy.

I get up, "Well, we might as well go now seeing as I don't—"

Reim shakes his head, and waves a maid in carrying a pile of clothes, "She's provided you with these, seeing as you can't show up in a night gown."

My face heats up at the mention of my apparel. Thanks to the constant visits from my favorite group of researchers, it had been decided that I'd just wear a hospital slip, seeing as it's _such _a hassle to change me in and out for every single exam. To be honest, I think they fancy they found a weakness in my apparent lack of button ability, and they want to keep me from overcoming it.

He ducks out and the maid politely looks away (Well, for the most part. The little wench tried sneaking a peak every now and again) as I zipped and dressed my way to my undershirt which, of course, was button-up.

_Damn you, buttons. Damn you. _She happily trots over to help fasten them, and before long (longer, seeing as she 'fumbled' with the bottom ones. I make note to ask Shelly for some less perverted maids) I'm dressed and ready to go.

I reluctantly thank the maid, pick up Emily, and head out the door with Reim. He proves to be just as stoic as ever during our adventure, silently leading as I trail behind, admiring the view.

And what a view it is. Tapestries and paintings decorated the walls between magnificent paned glass windows looking out into a courtyard fit for kings. I know it might be just the cell talking… hell, even the inside of a wooden crate would look great after months of endless white tile. But something told me it would be a sight to see no matter what.

We finally stop in front of a towering arched doorway, and Reim and I file into a cozy sitting room just outside of Shelly's quarters. Another (and thankfully, more composed) maid tells us to wait, assuring that the Lady will be with us shortly.

Reim and I park ourselves on an overstuffed sofa, the both of us on opposite ends. Seeing as pleasant conversation (Well, besides the occasional spat from Emily) is clearly out of the question, I decide to widdle away the minutes in the most productive way I knew how.

I glare down at the brightest, most polished button on my jacket. It takes me only a second to formulate a battle plan before I crack down on it, pinching it and twisting it and cursing it anywhere from hell to Tijuana.

Then, at long last, it pops free of it's fasten.

A cry of joy escapes my lips as I jump up from the couch, "_Ha! _I did it! _I. Did. It!"_

Unfortunately, my victory is short lived.

"_Congratulations dear, you undid your own button. Mother must be proud." _Emily giggled from the couch, having fallen in my little flight of ecstasy. She's not the only one staring. Reim is frozen to the spot, like a hare staring down the barrel of a rifle, along with the maid, who had come through the door in time to see the display.

"Ah…" I point at the button, at a loss for what else to do, "I did it."

"Yes, I see." The maid smiles politely, still a little spooked, "The lady will see you now."

* * *

**_A/N: Ello all... I have come back from the dead, see? I finally was able to carve out a bit of my schedule... and look what became of it! You guys can all thank my friend Bliss for this chapter. She's recently suffering from a relapse of Inuyasha nostolgia, and her frequent fanficing inspired me to return to this little wonder. Because, as you all know, Break is TOTALLY the first thing that comes to mind when I read about a white haired half demon with cute little ears. _**

**_I'll probably come back and revise this chapter, seeing as Break is a bit of a spaz. (I blame the candy). It works for now, it kinda balances out his whole serial murder scene. I hope. O.O_**

**_Anywho, thanks for all the support I STILL got after months of hiatus. Really, you guys rock. I would hug you all if it were physically possible._**

_~Every time you review, a button is defeated.~_


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